Wanting to demonstrate that “cities can be less impactful on the planet,” natural builder Lydia Doleman bought and remodeled a Portland house to demonstrate her values. Composting toilets reduce water usage while feeding the soil. Growing food shortens dependencies. Building materials were recycled and/or less toxic. She revised the floor plan to create spaces which encourage shared living rather than separate spaces. She also built Portland’s first permitted straw bale residence a cob studio and. Take a tour with Lydia in part 2. Episode 246. [theflyinghammer.com]
Natural Buildings for Urban Living (part 1)
By Janaia Donaldson, originally published by Peak Moment Television
November 18, 2013

Janaia Donaldson
Tags: Buildings, Cohousing, compost toilets, strawbale building, Urban Design
Related Articles
One School’s Missing History
In Pitts’s case, the history of the Kansas Technical Institute is just the beginning of a tale that led to Topeka Correctional, the school-to-prison pipeline, a community’s loss, and a distinctly unnerving world.
September 28, 2023
Review: The Girls’ Guide To Off Grid Living by Amanda Kovattana
By Frank Kaminski, Mud City Press
Amanda Kovattana is a fascinating woman, someone who has lived a truly extraordinary life by consistently choosing to live it on her own terms.
September 28, 2023
Brian Merchant’s “Blood In the Machine”
Luddites are not – and have never been – anti-technology. Rather, they are pro-human, and see production as a means to an end: broadly shared prosperity.
September 27, 2023